Black Aggie
A Maryland Ghost Story
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
When Felix Agnus put up the life-sized shrouded bronze statue of a grieving angel, seated on a pedestal, in the Agnus family plot in the Druid Ridge Cemetery, he had no idea what he had started. The statue was a rather eerie figure by day, frozen in a moment of grief and terrible pain. At night, the figure was almost unbelievably creepy; the shroud over its head obscuring the face until you were up close to it. There was a living air about the grieving angel, as if its arms could really reach out and grab you if you weren't careful.
It didn't take long for rumors to sweep through the town and surrounding countryside. They said that the statue - nicknamed Black Aggie - was haunted by the spirit of a mistreated wife who lay beneath her feet. The statue's eyes would glow red at the stroke of midnight, and any living person who returned the statues gaze would instantly be struck blind. Any pregnant woman who passed through her shadow would miscarry. If you sat on her lap at night, the statue would come to life and crush you to death in her dark embrace. If you spoke Black Aggie's name three times at midnight in front of a dark mirror, the evil angel would appear and pull you down to hell. They also said that spirits of the dead would rise from their graves on dark nights to gather around the statue at night.
People began visiting the cemetery just to see the statue, and it was then that the local fraternity decided to make the statue of Grief part of their initiation rites. "Black Aggie" sitting, where candidates for membership had to spend the night crouched beneath the statue with their backs to the grave of General Agnus, became popular.
One dark night, two fraternity members accompanied new hopeful to the cemetery and watched while he took his place underneath the creepy statue. The clouds had obscured the moon that night, and the whole area surrounding the dark statue was filled with a sense of anger and malice. It felt as if a storm were brewing in that part of the cemetery, and to their chagrin, the two fraternity members noticed that gray shadows seemed to be clustering around the body of the frightened fraternity candidate crouching in front of the statue.
What had been a funny initiation rite suddenly took on an air of danger. One of the fraternity brothers stepped forward in alarm to call out to the initiate. As he did, the statue above the boy stirred ominously. The two fraternity brothers froze in shock as the shrouded head turned toward the new candidate. They saw the gleam of glowing red eyes beneath the concealing hood as the statue's arms reached out toward the cowering boy.
With shouts of alarm, the fraternity brothers leapt forward to rescue the new initiate. But it was too late. The initiate gave one horrified yell, and then his body disappeared into the embrace of the dark angel. The fraternity brothers skidded to a halt as the statue thoughtfully rested its glowing eyes upon them. With gasps of terror, the boys fled from the cemetery before the statue could grab them too.
Hearing the screams, a night watchman hurried to the Agnus plot. To his chagrin, he discovered the body of a young man lying at the foot of the statue. The young man had apparently died of fright.
The disruption caused by the statue grew so acute that the Agnus family finally donated it to the Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C.. The grieving angel sat for many years in storage there, never again to plague the citizens visiting the Druid Hill Park Cemetery.
You can read more Maryland folktales and ghost stories in Spooky Maryland by S.E. Schlosser.
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Comments
this story is very entertaining and i told it as a ghost story to my friends and they got really scaredd
Posted by: hannah | July 8, 2010 04:22 PM
that story is cool and scary i wish that someone could tell it to me in a scary wayyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Posted by: fatima | July 9, 2010 04:30 PM
This is a great storie
Posted by: Anonymous | July 16, 2010 01:04 AM
thats creepy! did they really give it 2 the washington DC simthsonum????
Posted by: kelly | July 18, 2010 12:08 PM
thats not true
Posted by: prettygirl | July 18, 2010 02:05 PM
who ever made this should have read it to us . because it is to long
Posted by: Anonymous | July 19, 2010 08:04 PM
awesome story kinda reminds me of bloody mary with the mirror part lol
Posted by: pam | July 20, 2010 05:42 PM
This story is really good
Posted by: Anonymous | July 20, 2010 11:15 PM
it is ok
Posted by: Brittany | July 25, 2010 12:26 PM
After reading almost all the other stories, I wonder why the scariest had to be first?
Posted by: Americanducklover | July 27, 2010 09:35 AM
Black Aggie should be returned to Druid Ridge so that others may share in the experience.
Posted by: Scott | July 27, 2010 08:23 PM
Its good its kind of scary if u read it at night tho, it would TOTALLY FREAK U OUT!
Posted by: A person | July 28, 2010 02:15 PM
omg god this is super scay I have goose bumps right now like wow
Posted by: Anonymous | July 28, 2010 03:47 PM
The story is soooo freaky! I told it to my friends tonight in the tent and it was awesome!!
Posted by: Seth | August 1, 2010 12:39 AM
I live in that city and I actually seen the brother dissapear it is true
Posted by: Dom | August 2, 2010 04:34 AM
so far this is the scariest one yet I read it 12:00 o'clock and it was scary
Posted by: jeo | August 3, 2010 04:56 AM
Creeeeeeeeeppppppppppyyyyyyyyy!
Posted by: David | August 3, 2010 12:06 PM
oh no i read it at 3:00 am i am freaked out
Posted by: spoo1 | August 5, 2010 02:49 AM
Scary as h** I have grandparents who witnessed a man that turned into a pig at night it followed my grandpa home back in my country guatemle.
Posted by: Anderson | August 5, 2010 10:36 AM
OK ...
Posted by: :) | August 5, 2010 03:53 PM
It's a little scary. I won't be saying it's name 3 times.
Posted by: Anna | August 5, 2010 08:02 PM
I lived outside of Baltimore for 28 years. I can attest that this story is factual. The statue is currently in storage at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. The officials at the Smithsonian have refused to put Black Aggie on display. Like I can't imagine why.
Posted by: Creg | August 6, 2010 03:04 PM
thats pretty scary to read at midnight
Posted by: @}--:- | August 8, 2010 06:26 PM
this story was really entertaining!
Posted by: donnia | August 14, 2010 06:56 AM
I will NEVER say its name 3 times! And poor boy...died of fright. Wait, who'd go in a cemetery at night, anyway?
Posted by: JONAS FAN | August 14, 2010 07:47 PM
what a great story...chocho!!!
Posted by: may anne | August 15, 2010 12:05 AM
That was a great story!
Posted by: hollie | August 16, 2010 11:28 AM
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwoooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww im glad i read it at 10:36pm put its still freaky glowing eye im scared wow im still scared
Posted by: titi | August 19, 2010 09:38 PM
It was weird!!!! I like it!!!
Posted by: =] | August 20, 2010 01:33 AM
That statue sounds like a propa cuntbag.
Posted by: jak | August 22, 2010 04:08 PM
that story is scary and it kind of reminded me of another story i heard once, but i forget what it was called.....
Posted by: Lainey | August 28, 2010 01:20 PM
cool story is the statue actualy at the smithsonian or is this just a story and did a boy actually die and did the angel actually come to life cuz i kinda dout it
Posted by: lunatrix | August 30, 2010 06:55 PM
Loved this story!
Posted by: Amber | August 31, 2010 06:37 PM
That was creepy bu i know it isn't true. Ghost stories mainly aren't. I wanna try saying the name 3 times tho...
Posted by: Anonymous | September 4, 2010 03:39 AM
All the nephews are in the tree house ready for our one night sleep out.. I am going to tell this one tonight.. They'll love it. very creepy.
Posted by: Uncle Jay | September 5, 2010 06:06 PM
That seemz like bloody mary i think its not true
Posted by: Angelina | September 9, 2010 10:31 PM
That story was not too long...that person obviously doesn't read too much...good story but I think Black Aggie should have let the initiate go and got the other two frat brothers....
Posted by: Tina | September 10, 2010 10:58 PM
totally cool
Posted by: bidisha panja | September 11, 2010 11:28 PM
WOW!! i luv this story.its good!!
Posted by: punkprincess | September 12, 2010 01:33 PM
i loved the story very cool
:) :P :D
Posted by: ayah | September 14, 2010 12:51 PM
Although the story may have been constructed from the pieces of various urban legends (I.E. Bloody Mary) there theoretically could be truth to the story. On one end of the argument, in a place such as a cemetery there are bound to be a number of vengeful spirits capable of the possession of a person or object. However, when placed in an environment with the set expectation of a supernatural event taking place, especially in a environment such as an old graveyard, then the mind runs wild. you see, hear, smell and imagine the most terrifying things. However, the presence of numerous fraternity brothers seems to lend a more believable element to the story. Frightened Greeks, namely douschebags who get their comeuppance, make great witnesses. However, being associated with a fraternity I know for a fact that although perfectly believable, fraternity brothers would not risk either legal prosecution nor the lives of potential members with such actions. Then again, Fraternity brothers could easily be interchanged with high school jocks, or a number of other dominant social groups.
Posted by: Wesley | September 14, 2010 11:09 PM
thats not scary
Posted by: Bronwyn | September 16, 2010 01:04 AM
I am so going to tell my friends this story at the halloween guide camp I'm going to! Really creepy
Posted by: Alex | September 17, 2010 12:01 PM
Realy scary!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | September 18, 2010 11:46 AM
this story is brilliant and when i was in washington with my friends we went to the museum were black aggie was kept and my friends were so scared they screamed until they got out of the museum !!!! :)
Posted by: Ellen | September 19, 2010 08:34 AM
I think there are about five different versions of this story. It's all stemmed from teh same one. Still a classic tale.
Posted by: Trent | September 21, 2010 08:51 PM
In 1996, a young Baltimore area writer named Shara Terjung did a story on Black Aggie for a small newspaper. After having been long fascinated with the legends, she became determined to track down the present location of the statue. Finally, shortly after Halloween, she got a call from a contact at the General Service Administration who was able to discover where the elusive Aggie had ended up. The statue can still be seen today at the Federal Courts building in Washington, in the rear courtyard of the Dolly Madison house.
Posted by: Tammy | September 23, 2010 09:29 AM
The statue's so beautiful! The story behind it is just so terrifying.
Posted by: Luna | September 26, 2010 06:55 PM
suuper scaryyyyyyyyy!!!!!
Posted by: aujaz | September 26, 2010 07:04 PM
That 1 actually freaked me out a little bit... Give me some more!!
Posted by: Tj | September 30, 2010 01:34 PM
ehh... it's ok but it would be better if i actually witnessed it :D
Posted by: Anonymous | October 1, 2010 01:08 PM
ehh... it's ok but it would be better if i actually witnessed it :D
Posted by: Anonymous | October 1, 2010 01:08 PM
this is a very good story i like the mirror part it iz so freekinq creppy .lolz :0
Posted by: jake | October 1, 2010 01:17 PM
i love this story i dotn like to read a lot but this i lov it will freak u out!!!!;0
Posted by: jake mccutchen | October 1, 2010 01:19 PM
they should have smashed it up
Posted by: Anonymous | October 4, 2010 05:28 AM
I'm scared!WAAAAA!
Posted by: HELLLLPP!!!!!! | October 5, 2010 03:59 PM
nice,frightening ghost story. cant wait to scare the living bejeepers outta my freinds
Posted by: Anonymous | October 5, 2010 05:12 PM
this story is scary though it sounds like a bloody mary storie
Posted by: myra | October 5, 2010 06:34 PM
Sorta scary...for an urban ledgend...not true obviously..but can be interpreted to be....
Posted by: Anonymous | October 7, 2010 09:51 PM
The statue really exists and it was really donated to the Smithsonian due to the unwanted attention causd by the legends where a recast of it stands now. The original statue is now in a courtyard behind the Dolley Madison House.
Posted by: Herne the Hunter | October 8, 2010 01:01 PM
This story wasn't that scary but it was kinda freaky.
Posted by: Ellysienne | October 9, 2010 03:23 PM
i got freaked out im never gonna go anywhere past 12:00-amanda
i dont even wanna look in the mirror for a moment-maria
Posted by: amanda and maria | October 11, 2010 12:07 PM
this is awesome! I like it alot!
Posted by: kay winter | October 11, 2010 04:24 PM
WOA SCARYYYYY lol kinda reminded me of candy man and bloody mary
Posted by: james | October 14, 2010 12:50 PM
this story was kinda freaky
Posted by: stacy | October 14, 2010 07:12 PM
this story sounds pretty creepy but not creepy enough to keep someone up at nite....
Posted by: issac | October 15, 2010 02:36 PM
this story sounds pretty creepy but not creepy enough to keep someone up at nite....
Posted by: issac | October 15, 2010 02:37 PM
It didn't scare me, but it was a good story. :)
Posted by: skipper | October 15, 2010 07:01 PM
I think this story is freaky creepy and scary all at the same time! I think that statue was actualy posessed by Demons!
Posted by: jada | October 15, 2010 07:32 PM
that was ssssssscccccaaaarrrrryyyy!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Watevar | October 21, 2010 10:42 AM
omg!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 21, 2010 11:38 AM
omg it idk 12:00 and i just read this and im 2 scared 2g2 sleep
Posted by: Anonymous | October 23, 2010 06:24 PM
world full of unknown...anything is possible.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 23, 2010 11:31 PM
awesome story
Posted by: Anonymous | October 25, 2010 07:09 AM
i have heard this story before its real and true.
Posted by: cheyenna | October 25, 2010 03:50 PM
thx for the story thats scary i loved the part when it says "as if its arms could grab you if you wernt carful"
Posted by: sexy | October 25, 2010 06:05 PM
this was so very scary
Posted by: Cricket | October 26, 2010 10:22 AM
this story gave me a fright in a half.
Posted by: Big Timmy | October 26, 2010 01:38 PM
worst story evar
Posted by: stupid | October 27, 2010 09:32 AM
CREEEEEPY! me and my bf are reading this and would love to see Blach aggie....
Posted by: Anonymous | October 27, 2010 10:58 AM
Wow, ima use this for the school haloween party
Posted by: Anonymous | October 28, 2010 12:13 AM
This story was not that bad. I love the different tales that went with origin. It could have been a little longer. Than again, it was like a campfire tale.
Posted by: c | October 28, 2010 10:18 AM
this is based on a true story the black aggie or at least the scary version now sits in the basement of the smithsonian in D.C.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2010 08:21 PM
Great story
Posted by: Anonymous | October 30, 2010 11:50 PM
Who came back from hell to tell the 'mirror' story?
Wouldn't be the only initiate to die during hazing.
They should hold halloween sleepovers there!
Posted by: UnclearFizzyCyst | October 31, 2010 07:41 AM
that is so scary i dont want that to happen to me
Posted by: lady gaga | October 31, 2010 11:51 AM
I really like this story , I will tell my friends this story at midnight !
Posted by: Anonymous | October 31, 2010 12:42 PM
ok... this story isnt that scary... but of course, the site owner wont put my comment because i said something that could affect his site (in a bad way) oh, come on!!!! this story isnt that good! i didnt like it that much. it wasnt even scary! well, i guess it is scary when ur a 4 or 5 year old...
Posted by: nono | November 1, 2010 08:29 AM
wow thats scary i havent heard a storie that good in a while!
Posted by: cameron | November 1, 2010 02:10 PM
so scary!!! omg
Posted by: Althea Sabularse | November 6, 2010 11:44 PM
COOL
Posted by: Richard | November 15, 2010 11:11 AM
wOw
Posted by: mE | November 23, 2010 02:53 PM
very good story but not scary enough
Posted by: darkman | November 27, 2010 09:56 PM
man that is a good storie.
ill give you a hint dont go into A cemitry at night its that simple
Posted by: zackary potts | December 2, 2010 03:32 AM
that was awesome
Posted by: Anonymous | December 24, 2010 12:33 AM
Hilarios because i was reading this at a graveyard on my laptop when i looked behind me i saw something jsut like this
Posted by: Evan | December 27, 2010 06:54 PM
this was a rather creepy story than a scary one......but i liked it....:)
Posted by: Prajnya | January 1, 2011 05:59 AM
I loved it. I'm going to tell it to my friend, who gets scared because I act it out and I'd like to think I could tell it well. Better than most. My cousins were shvering when I told it to them, and I can't wait because I'm going to somehow get two flashlights and put red paper over it. Then scream, and stand there with the lights and say her name. Then laugh my butt off.
Posted by: Dark Moon | January 7, 2011 11:30 AM
Me and my friend were reading this story, but then we stopped for a second and looked around. An old halloween skull decoration seemed to watch us, moving. So we hid him behind a TV in the living room. She has windows there cause her room used ot be a garage. Well, we looked and there was a shadow in the window. We screamed and went to find it. While my friend looked at it, it flopped over but there was no wind. On the way there, I stepped beside a vent. It began to moan and groan. I then got the skull and placed it on it, thinking thet were friends somehow. It didn't do anything. I grabbed it again and put it on a pillow in her Mom's room. It began to glow different colors, without me touching it. We ran but when we came back, it had quit glowing. Now we're hoping it won't get us, but if I never write back, this story is very true. And very creepy. Oh, it quit after we finished reading the story. My friend says she knows a ghost called Gari, so maybe he was offended. I'M NOT WACKO I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!!! Great story though.
Posted by: Freaked Out | January 7, 2011 02:15 PM
This story reminds me of a stature in a cemetery in northern california. It was a stature of a girl angel and around midnight to about three in the morning it would appear that the head and body would move and that the eyes would open. The more you thought about death and the dead the greater the movement would appear. This is a true statement and it is in the cemetery with the 13 bloody steps (at midnight on the 13Th step under a full moon blood would appear, this also I saw with my own eyes.....
Posted by: john m | January 12, 2011 06:08 AM
wow!! that was awesome. you have to tell me were you got that from dude. that is the best on I have heard so far on this website.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 16, 2011 10:01 AM
I'm so afraid but i'm gonna try the mirror thing tonight
Posted by: ada | January 16, 2011 10:11 AM
Okay so, I'm home alone at 4:08 in the morning scared out of my dang mind. O.o
Posted by: Anonymous | January 17, 2011 05:10 AM
does this story remind anyone else of a weeping angel from dr. who?
Posted by: jilli | January 19, 2011 05:34 PM
Wow, that was a really interesting story. However, if the "cursed" statue does pull you down to hell, Jesus won't save you? LoL
Posted by: Marisa | January 22, 2011 12:14 PM
this what not very scary come on yall r such whimps! :)
Posted by: Stupid story | February 2, 2011 08:24 AM
scary but a good story
Posted by: Allie | February 5, 2011 02:56 PM
I really like this story, but I know my faith and my faith says this story is false... Just another story to tell...
Posted by: Lola | February 14, 2011 08:19 PM
It was a boring story
Posted by: jonathan | February 18, 2011 03:43 PM
its got me
Posted by: soda | March 1, 2011 01:56 PM
it was good but not scary at all
Posted by: nyuu | March 1, 2011 05:38 PM
i like this story too and who know this story can be real brrr scary to think about it and the angel sound cool
Posted by: Jimmy | March 3, 2011 06:22 PM
this story is so scary
Posted by: aleta davies | March 4, 2011 05:55 PM
are any of these ghost stories real
Posted by: michael | March 6, 2011 10:54 PM
wow cool
Posted by: Anonymous | March 13, 2011 04:25 PM
doesn't anybody know how to spell?
Posted by: Anonymous | March 18, 2011 02:22 PM
good story
Posted by: jessy | March 19, 2011 04:13 PM
wow,whatta eerie story. it sounds very interesting;enough to be a good spooky movie. if so, i can't wait to see it.
Posted by: paula escobar | March 23, 2011 09:22 AM
its good but doesnt have enough suspence building up to it.
Posted by: Annie | March 31, 2011 06:02 PM
WOW that's a really good story. That totally freaked me out.
Posted by: Cameron | April 3, 2011 10:02 AM
It's true they gave it to the musuem, but its nottrue how they died, that has been around for years, complaints that the statue was "Getting rid of buisness" said the governer, which ment that nobody would live there anymore, he would either kick out the people who put the statue there out of the state or donate it to another, and D.C. was the one to stand up. thats what i think
Posted by: jessiaca | April 3, 2011 03:07 PM
I remember reading this 3 years ago when I was only 8 on Quizilla...it was 12:30 sumthin in the nite.I was so freaked out that when my cat meowed I screamed.The Inez Clarke story is also creepy too...
-Gabriella
Posted by: Anonymous | April 4, 2011 05:21 AM
this story is really awesome!!!^_^
Posted by: emcee | April 14, 2011 02:42 AM
this is one of the amazing story i have read and i need to thank who wrote the story and i hope to give us another story
Posted by: sands of god | April 20, 2011 01:48 PM
ya, definatly not enough suspense in it... pretty kewl though
Posted by: Sarah | April 28, 2011 06:41 PM
I liked the story, but there are lots of stories almost like this one. However it had a different ending.
Posted by: Marianna | May 25, 2011 07:11 PM
I did not know you can die of fright.
Posted by: Grace Craig | June 10, 2011 05:29 PM
This is such a great story! I must go see the statue at Washington D.C . Creepy story!
Posted by: Skylar | June 17, 2011 12:20 PM
what a story
Posted by: susan | July 1, 2011 08:45 AM
Way creepy i love this site addicted 2 it
Posted by: Eve | July 6, 2011 12:40 AM
OK
Posted by: Anonymous | July 6, 2011 10:06 PM
i liked the storyy sooooooooooo much.it was scaryyyyy
Posted by: sree | July 27, 2011 05:16 AM
Great story, has anyine tried the mirror thing?
Posted by: Rizan | July 29, 2011 05:00 AM
I suppose that hose to show you, you cannot trust anything or anyone, especially angels and angel statues. You also need to believe gossip.
Posted by: Kirsten | July 29, 2011 03:54 PM
Even if it isn't true this story is intriging and creepy,and is worth telling for ages to come.
Posted by: Lisa G. | August 1, 2011 06:09 PM
the whole dying of fright thing was... but all together an ok story, oh and i HATE statues!
Posted by: breena/riverara | August 1, 2011 10:04 PM
You should not always what they seem, just because it looks like an angel does not mean they act like an angel, in fact they may act just the opposite. The devil can get anyone now!!!
Posted by: Kirsten | August 7, 2011 06:04 PM
alsume
Posted by: richard watts | October 31, 2011 10:56 AM
OH MY GOD THAT SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!
Posted by: Mary | October 31, 2011 12:36 PM
This would really be scary except for one fact:
At the beginning of the story the cemetery was called "Druid Ridge Cemetery"; at the end it was called "Druid Hill Park Cemetery". Otherwise, had its moment(s)
Posted by: Ivan | October 2, 2012 02:42 PM
wow im so using this for my project
Posted by: PUFF | November 14, 2012 07:53 PM